A closer look at the people who shape our club.
How did you get into chess?
I was taught the moves by my dad when I was at primary school, probably P6 or P7. My brother learned at the same time and quickly overtook me after getting some instruction from our piano teacher. I didn’t take that well back then and drifted away from the game, while he went on to play club chess and continued socially into adulthood.
During Covid, almost on a whim while on a break at work, I loaded up Chess.com and played a few long games. I honestly don’t know why — but I was quickly hooked. The ratings, the sense of progression, and the depth of the game pulled me in. I started watching YouTube, slowly improving, and before long I wanted to play over the board.
From a few casual games in a pub, to an allegro event in Dundee where I discovered Stonehaven Chess Club had folded during Covid, things escalated quickly. I decided to restart the club, and from those informal beginnings we’ve grown into a structured club with league chess and lottery funding.
How would you describe your playing style?
I enjoy complex positions where both players have to think and work. I’m less interested in sterile or purely theoretical chess and more drawn to positions with tension and practical decisions.
I like slightly offbeat openings — the Vienna with White, the Mengarini Variation against the Sicilian, and things like the Caro-Kann or Dutch with Black. I prefer slow chess to fast chess, although online I play more blitz and bullet simply for convenience. Over the board, I’m happiest when there’s time to think properly.
Which chess piece is your favourite, and why?
Knights — although I also hate playing against them. They’re powerful, awkward, and unforgiving if you lose concentration. I’m still very capable of missing a fork if I’m not switched on, so knights keep me honest.
What’s something you’d like to achieve in chess, big or small?
I’d like Stonehaven Chess Club to become a serious and respected hub for chess in the North East. Personally, I’d like to reach 1700+ one day, even if that ends up being later in life. Between a demanding job, dogs, and home life, I’m realistic about time — steady improvement is the aim.
What’s your biggest pet-hate at the board or in the club?
I don’t really have a specific chess pet-hate. I’m quite organised by nature and tend to carry a lot of the administrative load at the club. I’d love someone equally keen to share that — although I’ll admit I’m not always great at relinquishing control.
What’s something non-chess about you that might surprise the club?
Perhaps more surprisingly, I’m Grade 8 piano (although I don’t play much these days), I can solve a Rubik’s cube, and at one point I could recite pi to 100 decimal places — it would take me about 20 minutes to relearn it. I’m also a good baker.
I also wasn’t always as regimented as I am now. Between the ages of 18 and 23 I drifted between jobs and made plenty of questionable choices before joining the Merchant Navy. Chess, like my career, has been part of finding structure and direction.